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The Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development has announced plans to include youth empowerment programmes in its 2026 budget through the promotion of the National Artisans Skills Acquisition Programme (NASAP). The initiative, according to the ministry, aims to equip young Nigerians with relevant technical and vocational skills in housing and construction to reduce unemployment and build a skilled workforce for national development. The Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, Rt. Hon. Yusuf Abdullahi Ata, disclosed this commitment when he received a delegation from the University of Uyo Centre for Skills Acquisition and Rural Development, led by its Director, Ambassador Ernest Essien, in Abuja. In a statement signed by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Badamasi Haiba, the Minister noted that the collaboration forms part of the government’s broader strategy to create sustainable job opportunities for Nigerian youths through technical education and skills training. Ata explained that the Ministry is already working to strengthen partnerships with academic and vocational institutions across the country to empower young people and close the labour gap in the housing and construction sectors. “We are going to continue to interact with you so that we can work on areas of common ground,” he said. “The Ministry will assist you as we factor your needs into our 2026 budget so that we can provide all the necessary assistance and support to carry out this project.” The Minister commended the Centre for its ongoing efforts in youth development and technical training, describing its programmes as being in alignment with the Ministry’s National Artisans Skills Acquisition Programme, which focuses on building local capacity and bridging the shortage of skilled workers in the construction industry. According to him, the government recognises that the construction sector plays a vital role in economic growth and job creation, hence the need to invest in human capital that can drive infrastructure delivery and housing development nationwide. He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to the empowerment of Nigerian youths through deliberate investment in technical education, entrepreneurship, and practical training. Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Shuaib Belgore, stated that the Centre’s skill development initiative aligns perfectly with the Ministry’s broader housing and infrastructure agenda. Belgore stressed that both institutions share a common vision of building a competent workforce that can meet the growing demand for skilled labour in Nigeria’s construction and housing sectors. “The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development is keen on collaborating with stakeholders like the University of Uyo Centre for Skills Acquisition to deliver on our mandate of providing affordable housing and quality infrastructure,” he said. Earlier, the Director of the Centre, Ambassador Ernest Essien, explained that the visit was aimed at strengthening partnership with the Ministry on skill acquisition and job creation across Nigeria, especially in Akwa Ibom State. Essien noted that the Centre has been running several skill acquisition programmes to train and certify Nigerian youths in different trades, adding that collaboration with the Ministry will help expand the scope of training and certification nationwide. He stated that the country’s housing and infrastructure projects require a large pool of skilled artisans, including electricians, bricklayers, carpenters, plumbers, and surveyors, to deliver on the Federal Government’s housing plans. “The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development is focusing on housing and infrastructural expansion and needs a skilled and reliable workforce for its national projects, and that is where we are coming in,” he said. “We are proposing to create that skilled workforce through tertiary artisan students to ensure that graduates are certified and ready to contribute to the Ministry’s goal,” he added. Essien commended the Ministry’s ongoing NASAP initiative, which targets the digital certification and integration of at least 10,000 construction artisans annually with job placements over a three-year period. He said such programmes not only tackle youth unemployment but also help improve productivity and the quality of labour available for public and private housing projects across the country. The collaboration, he added, will serve as a model for other universities and institutions to adopt similar artisan development schemes in line with the Federal Government’s drive to strengthen Nigeria’s human capital base.
